


Fourth Time's the Charm

by ManhattanMom



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - No one dies, M/M, fluff with a bit of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-22
Updated: 2013-10-22
Packaged: 2017-12-29 23:35:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1011409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManhattanMom/pseuds/ManhattanMom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo and Kíli fall for each other right away.</p><p>There are, however, some difficulties when it comes to consummating the relationship...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fourth Time's the Charm

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little bit of sweet silliness I wrote while working on my other story...hope you enjoy!
> 
> A monstrously HUGE thank you goes out to the incomparable Salvia_G, who stayed up late with me a few nights ago helping me edit and polish this sucker. I so appreciate her time and enthusiasm!
> 
> Any remaining mistakes are my own.

It was clear to the entire Company almost immediately how smitten Kíli was with their burglar.

****

That first night in Bag End, he could barely keep his eyes off him, and Fíli could not help but notice how his little brother, normally quite reserved around those he did not know well, bloomed like a flower in the sun when he had the attention of Bilbo.

****

That he was unable, after too much ale and in his excitable state, to differentiate between good and bad attention (irritation provoked by wiping one's muddy boots on glory boxes and throwing one's cutlery around - definitely _bad_ attention), could be chalked up to youth and inexperience.

****

After all, in matters of the heart, there is an admittedly steep learning curve.

****

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****

When Bilbo eventually caught on to Kíli's infatuation, he luckily did not seem opposed at all.  In fact, he was downright delighted.

****

"I have not been a bachelor by choice, you see," he explained bashfully to Kíli one evening while they sat a bit apart from the others.  "I've always known I fancied lads, and, well..." He paused, looking uncomfortable.

****

"And?" asked Kíli encouragingly.

****

Bilbo shrugged helplessly.  "I mean, that's just not...well, it's simply not done.  Not in the Shire, anyway."

****

Kíli grinned, and leaned over, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

****

"Then it's a bloody good thing we're no longer in the Shire, isn't it?"

****

They both laughed at that, but quieted down quickly after a stern look from Thorin.

****

Kíli decided to press his advantage, and cupped his hand to Bilbo's face, gently turning it toward his own.

****

"May I?" he asked softly, nuzzling his nose against the side of Bilbo's.

****

"Well, I suppose...that is to say...I...ummm..."

****

Laughing quietly so as not to engender another stern look from his uncle, Kíli said, "Bilbo, I want only to kiss you.  Nothing more.  I promise."

****

Bilbo looked up at him, and Kíli swallowed hard at the smoldering heat he saw in the other's eyes.

****

"At least, nothing more tonight." he amended hastily.

****

Bilbo smiled, and Kíli could not help but grin back.

****

"Yes, you may kiss me.  I rather think I'd like that." Bilbo murmured as they drew closer, until their lips were only a breath apart.

****

"I rather think I'll like it too," Kíli whispered, and then he closed the distance between them.

****

It was absolutely everything he could have ever hoped for.

****

Bilbo's lips were so soft beneath his, and very warm, and after a moment spent relishing the first chaste press of their lips against each other, Kíli chanced a tiny swipe of his tongue against Bilbo's mouth, and moaned aloud when the hobbit's lips parted instantly, and his tongue reached out to meet Kíli's.

****

Their kiss deepened quickly, heatedly, and Kíli wanted nothing but to lose himself in the warm, welcoming invitation of Bilbo's lips and tongue and...teeth.  Oh, Mahal, his _teeth_.  They broke apart briefly, gasping for air, and Bilbo used the opportunity to nibble on Kíli's bottom lip, tugging it briefly and then licking it, soothing it, before biting it softly again.

****

Kíli was sure he must have died and gone somewhere wonderful, where every good deed in his life was currently being rewarded by this kiss.

****

He reached up to grasp the back of Bilbo's head, running his fingers through the soft auburn curls and pulling the hobbit even closer.  His breath grew short as Bilbo began sucking on his neck, nibbling gently on his throat before laving his tongue up its length and moving up to Kíli's ear to whisper, "I was right.  I rather _do_ like it."

****

With a growl, Kíli pulled Bilbo's face to his, and nearly knocked him over with the urgency of his kiss. He devoured Bilbo's mouth, thrusting his tongue inside and swiping it over the hobbit's teeth, before trailing hot, wet kisses along Bilbo's cheeks and jawline, savoring every whimper and groan he made, and matching it with groans of his own.

****

"Durin’s beard, Bilbo, you shall make me forget myself with those sounds you make," he muttered hotly into the hobbit's ear, and almost lost control entirely at the way Bilbo shuddered at his words.

****

"Oh, Kíli," gasped Bilbo.  "I never...oh, good heavens, I cannot - "

****

"Then don't," Kíli said fiercely, grasping Bilbo's face in his hands and marveling over how dark the hobbit's eyes had become in his pleasure.  He kissed Bilbo passionately once more, before peppering the hobbit's face with gentle kisses, trying vainly to calm both of them down before they ended up rutting like rabbits on the ground in front of the entire company, propriety be damned.

****

"Tell me you'll consent to be my lover, Bilbo.  Please.  Let me court you and make love to you the way I long to.  The way - "  He stole one more heady kiss. "The way we _both_ long to."

****

Bilbo nodded, eyes wide and so, so dark.

****

"Yes.  Oh, by the Valar, _yes_.  I want that.  I want _you_.  Yes, yes to anything and everything, I want it all.  With you."

****

The hobbit's consent, and the lusty enthusiasm with which it was conveyed, almost made Kíli finish in his trousers, right there and then.

****

Well, he thought to himself, if _that_ was the first kiss, I cannot _wait_ to see what happens next.

****

ooo

****

It was an unmitigated disaster.

****

In all fairness, they'd been beset by by orcs and wargs, not half a day after almost being eaten by trolls, so perhaps it had been too soon to try to move things forward...but Kíli had been loathe to lose the opportunity Rivendell presented for their first time together to be in an actual bed, and truly, he did not think he could wait much longer.  The very sight of Bilbo, trim and pert in his waistcoat, with the little brass buttons...and his feet! Oh, those feet...and the way his hair was growing long enough to brush the back of his collar...

****

And, just to add to the torture...Bilbo seemed fully aware of the effect he was having on his dwarven suitor, and seemed to take endless satisfaction in tormenting him, with low-lidded looks, and little brushes against his thighs as they sat next to each other...

****

Well.  Kíli was simply not going to be responsible for his actions if he was not able to get his hands on the hobbit soon.

****

So after their meatless dinner, and after Bilbo was pressed into joining Thorin and Balin to meet with Elrond (Kíli was almost certain Thorin insisted on the hobbit's presence just to torture him), they slipped away to the private room Bilbo had been given.

****

Once the door was shut, Kíli was all over Bilbo like the wind over the plains, and as much as he inwardly urged himself to savor each moment and move with care, he found himself wild to see every bit of Bilbo's naked flesh, and to claim him, once and for all, as his and his alone.

****

For his part, Bilbo seemed equally eager, and while he was clearly not as experienced as Kíli, neither was he a shy, retiring virgin.  He gave as good as he got, and in short order they were both naked on the bed, hands exploring, lips and tongues tasting.

****

Kíli thought his head might explode like a firework when he saw Bilbo, naked, for the first time.  His skin was so smooth and hairless, and there was not a mark or scar on him.  He had never seen anything like it, and, fascinated, he could not help but caress the hobbit's soft curves, his round belly, his deliciously pointed ears that were so sensitive to the slightest breath on them...it was sheer madness, the amount of desire he felt, and he was extremely gratified to see that Bilbo looked equally as excited by _his_ form, especially the silver rings Kíli wore in both his pierced nipples.

****

And that's when it all started to go wrong.

****

Kíli rolled on top of Bilbo, eager to feel Bilbo's soft skin underneath him; but as he leaned down to catch Bilbo's lips in his, the hobbit huffed out a great rush of air and gasped, "Kíli!  You're too heavy!  I cannot breathe!"

****

Kíli immediately lifted himself up onto his elbows, and looked down, thoroughly chastised, at Bilbo.  "I'm sorry, my sweet," he murmured placatingly. "I forget what a delicate little thing you are."

****

"Not so delicate," Bilbo responded grumpily.  "Just have a care.  You are much more dense than you appear."

****

Kíli grabbed Bilbo by the hips and rolled them both over, so that Bilbo was now on top.

****

"How's that?" he grinned.

****

Bilbo grinned back.  "Much better," he agreed.

****

But it was downhill from there.  Teeth clacked together unpleasantly, and elbows poked in unwanted places...and most discouragingly, Kíli finished much too soon.

****

He lay on his side of their bed afterwards, stunned and embarrassed, and too horrified to speak.

****

Bilbo cleared his throat.

****

"Well...", he began, "that was...unexpected."

****

Kíli wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

****

He risked a glance over at Bilbo, and was surprised to see the hobbit looking back at him bemusedly.

****

"I mean...that was...well, not typical, I imagine.  Yes?"

****

Kíli buried his face in Bilbo's lavender scented curls.

****

"No," he muttered.  "Not typical at all.  At _all._ "

****

Bilbo sighed, and Kíli could not help but recognize the relief he heard there.

****

"Then we shall simply chalk this up to a bad set of circumstances, yes?" Bilbo said firmly.  "After all, we nearly died twice over in the last two days.  That's enough to sap the get up and go from just about anyone.  Yes?"

****

Kíli nodded silently, still unwilling to meet Bilbo's gaze.

****

He was worried; that was the long and short of it.  Very worried.

****

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****

The second time was at Beorn's.

****

Once again the circumstances leading up to their tryst were less than ideal.  First Bilbo had been separated from the company in the goblin caves, and Kíli had been frantic when he realized, upon their escape, that Bilbo was not with them. It took the combined efforts of Fíli and Dwalin to stop him from running back into the mountain to find their burglar, and when his uncle spoke so disparagingly about the hobbit, Kíli had never felt such anger.

****

Then Bilbo had appeared, and the profound relief that swept through Kíli nearly brought him to his knees.

****

And then Azog had appeared, and once again they were running, although Kíli did take cold comfort in the knowledge that Bilbo was part of the company once again.

****

And then...then...

****

Bilbo had nearly been killed, defending his uncle, the very dwarf who'd dismissed him, called him useless and soft.  His Bilbo had launched himself at _Azog_ , the orc who'd beheaded his great-grandfather, and protected Thorin with his ridiculously tiny elvish dagger, until he, Fíli and Dwalin had been able to free themselves from the tree and enter the fray.

****

To say Kíli was incredibly excited and aroused by this new, courageous side of Bilbo would have been a remarkable understatement.

****

Unfortunately, Kíli was wounded in the skirmish to protect Thorin, and between the flight with the eagles and the two-day walk from the Carrock to Beorn's, he was quite wrung out by the time the Company reached safety at the shape shifter's home.

****

Bilbo seemed more than willing to tend to him in the days it took for Kíli to recover, and indeed his gentle ministrations, performed in little else but his shirtsleeves and the short trousers his race seemed to favor, put Kíli deliciously on edge for several days.  He fantasized about how Bilbo would look, writhing in ecstasy beneath him as he thrust into the hobbit's tight, welcoming heat, and nearly finished in his sleep clothes more than once.

****

He was thrilled when Oín proclaimed him well enough to leave his bed, for that meant he was well enough to fall right back into it, with some company...and he wasted no time in tempting Bilbo to again try to consummate their courting.

****

And again, their efforts ended in near disaster.

****

This time it was Kíli who was constantly distracted by feelings of discomfort, as Bilbo accidentally knocked into or bumped something sore and healing on the dwarf's body, and they would abruptly cease...only to try again, a different angle or position, but each time ended in Kíli inadvertently gasping in pain and Bilbo leaping off as if scalded...and when, as a last resort, Bilbo tried to simply take Kíli in hand and give pleasure _that_ way, Kíli was so tired and frustrated by the failures he could not stay erect...and his efforts to return the favor ended abruptly when Bilbo grunted and released all over his hand after a bare moment of caressing.

****

Hardly the stuff of legends, indeed.

****

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****

Thranduil's dungeon was the most depressing, sapping and maddening place Kíli had ever known. Depressing because it seemed the dwarves would not be released anytime soon, and Durin's Day was fast approaching.  Sapping because, with such a looming deadline in mind, Bilbo was frantically trying to sort out some means of escape for the Company, and was not eating and sleeping properly due to the strain.

****

Maddening because, in the midst of all this, the two were falling deeply in love with each other...and were barely able to touch or even see each other.

****

For his part, Kíli was not sure when it had turned from attraction and great fondness (with a healthy dose of lust) to genuine love.  He only knew he was caught, completely and utterly, and wanted nothing more than to be free of his cell so that he might hold his hobbit close, and breathe in his scent of lilacs and sunshine and cinnamon...and make certain no harm came to him ever again.

****

When Nori at last appeared and opened his cell door, Kíli all but shoved him aside to reach Bilbo, who stood anxiously behind the thief, wringing his hands and looking far too thin for Kíli's comfort.

****

He embraced Bilbo, and lifted him off his feet, swinging him around before setting him down and kissing him deeply.

****

Clearing his throat, Nori whispered pointedly, "Perhaps we should make good our escape first, princeling? Personally, I have no desire to find out how deep these dungeons go if we should be caught trying to break out."

****

Kíli ignored him, able only to focus on Bilbo, grasping his face oh so gently in his hands and softly running his thumbs along the hobbit's lips, frowning inwardly at how parched and cracked they were.

****

_How he has suffered for us,_ he wondered in amazement.   _We are not his kin, not even his race, and yet he bleeds to see us reach our goal._

****

When Bilbo smiled up at him, Kíli felt his heart burst in the most delicious way imaginable.

****

"My love," the hobbit whispered as Nori groaned quietly and pulled none too subtly on his sleeve, "I've missed touching you so.  I want nothing more than to hold and be held by you for the next month at least" - and at this, Nori hissed loudly and pulled harder - "but Nori is quite right.  We need to get out of here, quickly, before we're missed."

****

Kíli could barely concentrate on the words, so distracted was he by the sight of Bilbo's eyes, the corners wrinkling as he smiled at him, and his mouth, moving so delectably as the hobbit spoke.

****

In a daze, he allowed Bilbo to gently disentangle them, and lead him toward the underground river, the rest of the Company, and freedom.

****

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****

And then came the third time.

****

Once they had safely arrived in Laketown, it became all too clear that Bilbo was seriously ill...seriously enough that even stoic Oín appeared gravely concerned, which frightened Kíli more than any other time he could remember, including the death of his father.

****

It took a full fortnight, but Bilbo was able to climb back from the brink, in no small part due to the constant care and attention lavished on him by Kíli, who refused to leave his bedside, even to join the others for meals.  He preferred to eat with Bilbo, alone in their room, and talk quietly with him, about things of both great and little consequence.

****

They slept curled around each other, so that Kíli could keep Bilbo warm at the height of his fever.  They continued sleeping cuddled together even after it broke, finding great comfort in sleeping so close they could feel the other's heart beating.

****

And one cool afternoon, as they lay dozing on the bed, Kíli felt a soft kiss on his ear.  He turned, surprised, to see Bilbo looking back at him with one eyebrow raised.

****

"I was checking to see if you were awake or asleep," Bilbo whispered, smiling slightly.

****

Kíli grinned back.  "Well, now you know, yes?" he whispered in return.  "Do you have something you'd like to say?"

****

Bilbo leaned over and ran the tip of his tongue around the curve of Kíli's ear.

****

"Just that," he whispered.

****

Kíli closed his eyes and sighed happily.  "I didn't quite hear you," he whispered, grinning even more broadly. "Could you please repeat that?"

****

Bilbo laughed quietly, and did just that, his tongue caressing the dwarf's ear until Kíli moaned softly.

****

"Aye," Kíli managed, his voice hoarse, "that's what I thought you said."

****

They both started to laugh quietly, and Kíli reached up to caress the tip of Bilbo's ear, fascinated and thrilled at the way Bilbo's whole body arched and trembled in response.

****

"Don't do that to a hobbit's ear unless you plan to do quite a bit more," he fairly growled, and Kíli pounced.  

****

His hands worked feverishly, unbuttoning Bilbo's nightshirt and yanking it up over his head.  The hobbit wriggled until he was free of the garment, and then they turned their attentions to divesting Kíli of his tunic. When they were both bare to the waist, the bed became a jumble of limbs and lips as they both sought to satiate themselves with the feel of flesh on flesh.  

****

For the first time, Kíli felt a certain desperation, because he knew well how close he had come to losing Bilbo, and his heart rejoiced to hold him again, and feel him and taste him.  He was frantic to erase the fear that had sunk so deeply into his bones over the last few weeks, the fear that he had finally found the other half of his soul, only to lose him before they had even begun.

****

His hands snaked down to Bilbo's smallclothes, and he reached under to grip the hobbit's length with his hand, catching Bilbo's breathy groan with a deep kiss.  He squeezed firmly, and ran his thumb over the tip, spreading the wetness he found there down the side as he moved his hand up and down Bilbo's erection, snagging the hobbit's bottom lip with his teeth and nipping his neck gently, so so gently.  His other hand pulled at the smallclothes, dragging them down Bilbo's legs and over his feet - his _feet_! - until he was able to throw them over the side of the bed.

****

When the hobbit was finally totally naked, Kíli bent his head to suck and bite softly on Bilbo's nipple, and marveled at the way his lover's whole body seemed to vibrate.  Bilbo gasped and threw his head back, clutching Kíli shoulders with both his hands, and Kíli suddenly could not help but note how tiny he had become during the course of his illness.  Even before Mirkwood, Bilbo's frame reminded Kíli of a bird, his bones feeling thin and light as air, but now...Kíli worked terribly hard to rein in his passion, worrying he would injure Bilbo in his eagerness to touch him.

****

_There's barely any of him left,_ he thought distractedly.   _I fear I will snap him in two._

****

He became more and more troubled as they continued by the feel and sight of Bilbo's ribs, prominently displayed, and his hipbones, unnaturally sharp in Kíli's hands where before there had been only softness. How much he had wasted away was all too apparent now that he was unclothed.

****

Bilbo noticed Kíli's ardor cooling and he opened his eyes questioningly to see his dwarf's eyes locked onto his middle, his hands tenderly stroking what used to be a fairly ample belly, now admittedly strangely flat and scrawny-looking.

****

"Kíli..?" Bilbo said softly, frowning.  "What is it?"

****

Kíli looked up, and Bilbo was startled to see tears in his eyes.

****

"Oh, Bilbo," he said haltingly.  "You...your poor body.  All your glorious softness, your curves...you...I mean, I've been here, the whole time, but I didn't _know_ , I didn't _see_...you came so close.  I didn't truly _want_ to believe that but I look at you and all I can think is how near I came to losing you."

****

The hobbit's frown relaxed, and he laughed a bit.  "I supposed I should be a bit insulted that you find the sight of me so disturbing, especially under the circumstances.  No, no," he stopped Kíli's protests with a kiss on his nose.  "Don't bother to deny it.  It's clear as day, sweet.  You are an open book, I'm afraid."

****

He cleared his throat and then said,  "Does this mean we are now three for three in failed attempts?"

****

Kíli barked out a surprised laugh.  "Bilbo, I would never want you to think - "

****

"That you find me as insubstantial and therefore as attractive as dandelion fluff?  Well, that's a bit how I feel right now, I'll admit...perhaps you could endeavour to make me feel a little better somehow...?" Bilbo pouted, looking up at Kíli from under dark eyelashes.

****

Smiling, Kíli leaned over Bilbo, his hands on either side of the hobbit's head and said quietly, "What if I told you I love you?  That you are my One and I wish to marry you when we've reclaimed Erebor?  Would that soothe the sting a bit, my skinny hobbit?"

****

Bilbo's eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open.

****

"Are you...?  Wait, Kíli - are you _serious_?  You would not just say such a thing, would you?  To make me feel better?  Because if you are - "

****

Kíli silenced him with a kiss, lingering and soft and filled with promise.  He rolled off and drew Bilbo to him, looking him in the eye.

****

"I assure you I would never tell you I love you for the sole purpose of making you feel better, " he said, running his hand through the hobbit's curls, following the path of his hand with his eyes.

****

A wicked expression then flickered across his face.

****

"However, if you _do_ in fact feel better, well then.  Who am I to complain?"

****

"Oh, you," Bilbo said, swatting his arm.  The action inadvertently triggered a coughing fit, and Bilbo was soon gasping for air and wincing as his sore chest rattled and wheezed.

****

Kíli tried to not be alarmed - Oín had said Bilbo was on the mend, but that the cough was serious and would take time to fully wane.  But truly, it was enormously upsetting to see Bilbo, so small and delicate, be wracked so tremendously by the ferocious coughing.

****

Wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, Bilbo looked up at Kíli.

****

"I don't suppose that went very far towards convincing you I am perfectly well enough to continue our activities, did it?" he said wryly.

****

Kíli shook his head.

****

"Well, then," Bilbo sighed.  "I shall simply have to content myself with your promise of eternal love and eventual betrothal.  However shall I manage?"

****

"Why Mr. Boggins," Kíli whispered flirtatiously into his ear, "I suggest you gather your strength while you may. You are definitely going to need it."

****

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****

The next several weeks brought with them circumstances that were hardly conducive to love-making.  The final trek to Erebor proved emotionally draining for everyone, especially those members of the company who remembered the kingdom from its days of glory; and Kíli found himself dreading their destination more with every step.

****

He had not forgotten a dragon lay at the end of it; and that, as their burglar, it would fall to Bilbo to enter the mountain first.

****

While this had been understood and agreed upon long ago, in practice it was much more painful and terrifying to let him go than it had been in theory.

****

In theory, he had not been desperately in love.

****

In practice, he had to be restrained by Fíli to stop him from following Bilbo inside, “the scent of dwarves being familiar” and all that be damned.

****

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****

What followed next was unexpected.

****

What followed _that_ was, unfortunately, all too expected.

****

Smaug was killed, and Thorin went mad.

****

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****

In the dark days that followed, Kíli often wondered how he could have been so foolish and naive to think that the death of the dragon was the ultimate goal, the final piece of the puzzle to reclaiming the kingdom of his ancestors.

****

It was nothing so simple as that.

****

He had been told his whole life that gold madness was a weakness in his blood, and he could not deny the pull he felt in his core, in his very soul, when first he saw the dragon's hoard.

****

Later, when he caught sight of Bilbo looking at him uneasily, as if he were - Mahal forbid - _afraid_ of Kíli, it was like being doused with cold water.  He felt the fog in his mind lift, and the gilded, auric-tinged world around him snap back into the dim hues of the deserted kingdom.

****

He reached for Bilbo, who took his hand hesitantly, and stiffened when Kíli pulled him close.  Burying his face in Bilbo's curls, Kíli muttered, "It's me.  I'm here. Forgive me for frightening you," and was rewarded by the feel of his love's body relaxing against his, and the hobbit's arms reaching around him to squeeze him firmly in an embrace.

****

When Bilbo confessed to giving the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil, Kíli alone stepped between his uncle's rage and the terrified but defiant hobbit, and was cast out alongside him.

****

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****

The Battle of the Five Armies was utterly terrifying, primarily because Kíli never knew exactly where Bilbo was, and he struggled not to become distracted looking for him in the midst of the carnage.

****

It was overwhelming.

****

For every orc he struck down, two more seemed to take its place and he despaired, darkly and deeply, feeling certain they would never be able to overcome such a foe - that there were simply too many, and they would soon be overrun.

****

He only hoped that Bilbo would manage to escape with the help of that ring of his, and that he would not mourn Kíli for too long.

****

When he heard his hobbit shouting joyfully, "The Eagles! The Eagles are coming!" his heart surged and he was filled with renewed vigor and determination.  They _would_ succeed, and Erebor would be theirs again.

****

And then he saw Fíli.  

****

And then he saw Thorin.

****

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****

In the aftermath, Kíli was frantic to find Bilbo.  He needed to see him, to hold him, as a salve against the pain of his kin being so horribly wounded.

****

He found his hobbit sitting next to Thorin's bedside, holding the unconscious king's hand and weeping silently, the tears coursing down his cheeks.

****

When he gently rested his hand upon Bilbo's shoulder, the hobbit started and turned quickly.  Their eyes met, and Bilbo launched himself into Kíli's arms, crying so hard his whole body shook.

****

"They say...they say he might not survive," he sobbed, "and Fíli.  Dear Fíli...oh, Kíli, is all this my fault?  Should I have given Thorin that cursed stone?  I sought only to prevent a war and now...oh, Valar, _now_ look what has happened."

****

Kíli held him more tightly, and lowered his face into Bilbo's hair, breathing in the scent of blood and smoke, and he felt his throat tighten as his own tears threatened to fall.

****

"Oh, Bilbo," he said, and his voice broke.  "How can you think...?  No, my heart, you did all you could.  No matter _who_ held the Arkenstone, the orcs would still have come."

****

"But perhaps..." Bilbo persisted, his voice haggard.  "Perhaps Thorin would not have been hindered in any way if _he_ had held the stone.  And then perhaps Fíli would not have fallen protecting him, and perhaps - "

****

"Love," Kíli interrupted gently.  "There is nothing you could have done to change this outcome.  I speak the truth.   _Nothing at all._  The orcs would have come, and my uncle and brother would still have fought as fiercely as they could..." and here the tears no longer threatened but in fact coursed down his face as he continued, "and perhaps, perhaps it is _I_ who should be ashamed, for not being there to help protect them...for letting them be cut down."

****

Bilbo held him, and he held Bilbo, and they both wept as they stood by Thorin's bedside.

****

Waiting.

****

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****

It was well over a fortnight before Thorin awoke, and another long week after that for Fíli to join him.

****

The healers had done all they could, but they had been unable to save Fíli's left arm.  It had been neatly removed below the elbow; and after a brief period of depression and anger, rueful acceptance took over, and the heir seemed truly grateful to have survived at all.

****

Thorin was more difficult.  Even once he regained his strength, he was still plagued with terrible headaches and a crippling sensitivity to light, and both these issues served to make him exceptionally surly and short-tempered with everyone.  Privately, Balin confided to Kíli and Bilbo that he was very worried Thorin would have difficulty with the demands  of leadership, both physically and emotionally.  It was well-known that the elven healers had, while no cure, at least several means to alleviate the worst of the pain for these conditions; but Thorin's innate stubbornness, magnified by his suffering, had caused him to refuse any and all assistance not directly related with saving his life, and even _those_ services he accepted grudgingly or had been, as he frequently pointed out, unconscious and not offered a choice.  

****

To Kíli, this seemed like the most useless and ridiculous of rationalizations, but, as he had grown up under the shadow of his uncle's hatred of elves, he was not particularly surprised to see him behave in such an unreasonable way.

****

So the long and the short of it was - between helping Fíli adjust to his new life and Thorin's disruptive behavior, both privacy and the inclination were difficult to come by; and after all the false starts, Kíli wanted more than anything to have his next time with Bilbo be finally worth their wait.

****

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****

The weeks following the battle flew by, and Yuletime was upon the mountain before any could believe it.

****

Yule was not a particularly popular holiday amongst dwarves, but Kíli soon realized it was extraordinarily important to hobbits.

****

Accordingly, he thought he knew just the gift to give.

****

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****

He led Bilbo blindfolded to the rooms they had claimed for their own (and hadn't _that_ been a scandal, a prince of Erebor taking up with a hobbit, no matter _how_ heroic), and gently guided him to sit on their bed.

****

"Happy Yule, dearest," he whispered into Bilbo's ear, reveling in the way the hobbit shivered in response.

****

"Kíli," Bilbo began, but was silenced by a tongue gently running along his upper lip.  He gasped, and then his mouth fell open and his tongue sought Kíli's eagerly.  He brought his hands up to remove the blindfold but Kíli caught his wrist and sucked gently on the flesh there, teasing it with his teeth.

****

"Oh no, you don't," he whispered, smiling against Bilbo's wrist as the hobbit moaned.  "That stays on for a bit longer, if you please."

****

"Oh, Kíli, please - I want to _see_ you," Bilbo pleaded, and Kíli was ridiculously gratified to see Bilbo shifting uncomfortably around on the bed as he began to grow hard.

****

"Not. Just. Yet." Kíli responded, punctuating each word with a quick kiss, each one further up Bilbo's arm.  "I want you to feel me," and with this he placed his hand in Bilbo's lap, over the growing erection there, "and hear me," and he groaned along with the hobbit as he squeezed Bilbo's length firmly through his breeches, "and touch me," and he laughed as Bilbo, growling, reached up and grabbed his face, kissing him fervently, sucking on his tongue and drawing his upper lip into his mouth, gently nibbling on it.  "Seeing will come later."

****

Bilbo sighed happily as Kíli moved from deep, lingering kisses on his mouth to wet, hot kisses down his throat, and he tipped his head back, offering more bare skin for the dwarf to claim.  Kíli's fingers grazed the collar of Bilbo's shirt, and dipped in to gently caress the hobbit's chest, rolling his nipple between his thumb and forefinger and laughing quietly when Bilbo arched nearly off the bed in response.

****

"I am glad some things have not changed," he teased gently.  He leaned in again, pulling the shirt open further, and this time grasped the hobbit's nipple between his teeth and tugged gently, sucking and licking until it stood up, a hard pebble against Bilbo's pale, soft skin.

****

Bilbo's moans grew louder and more desperate, and he brought his hands up to Kíli's chest, stroking the dwarf's piercings through his tunic.

****

"Leave me blindfolded if you must,” Bilbo said hoarsely, “but surely we can address the fact that we are wearing entirely too much clothing, yes?"  His breath caught in his throat as Kíli bowed his head to nibble and suck on Bilbo's other nipple.

****

"Hmmmmmm," was all Kíli managed in return.

****

"Kíli!" Bilbo tried to protest, "Please!  At least take your tunic off!  Show a little mercy, for Yavanna's sa - _ahhhh_ , oh - don't stop, _please!_ "

****

Kíli felt quite smug, having distracted Bilbo so thoroughly, something he knew was not easy to do once the hobbit had sunk his teeth into something.

****

_But now it is_ I _who have sunk my teeth into something,_ he smiled to himself, _and I shan't be letting go any time soon._

****

He bit, licked and tasted Bilbo's chest and shoulders; and when the hobbit was a writhing mess, he moved up his neck, sucking bruises into it as he went, until he reached one, gloriously pointed ear.

****

"Remember how you told me never to do this _,_ " and he ran his tongue around the edges of Bilbo's ear, delighting in the way the hobbit nearly shrieked with desire, "unless I intended to do a great deal more?"

****

Bilbo moaned so deeply Kíli could feel it in his own chest.

****

"Oh, I'm sorry," and the dwarf thrust his tongue gently but firmly into Bilbo's ear, running it around the inside and softly up the tip, catching the outer edge in his teeth.  

****

Bilbo keened.

****

"I'm sorry, but I did not hear what you said.  I asked if you remembered telling me that," and he moved his head around the the hobbit's other side, and began caressing the opposite ear with his tongue, swirling it around the edges, and biting softly at the tip. "Do you remember saying I should not touch your ears unless I planned to touch more of you?"

****

Bilbo nodded frantically, clearly not trusting his voice.

****

"Well," purred Kíli, "I plan to touch _everything_ tonight, so please forgive my forward behavior with your ears, Mr. Boggins."

****

"Baggins!" Bilbo gasped out.  "And well you know it!"

****

Without stopping his attention to Bilbo's ear, Kíli dropped his hand back into Bilbo's lap, firmly squeezing his length again through his trousers.  Bilbo’s back bowed, his hands grasping Kíli's shoulders roughly and he began panting and babbling, nearly senseless with desire.

****

“And if I say it is Boggins?” whispered Kíli as he began to unlace Bilbo’s breeches and work his hand underneath, tugging at the strings of his smallclothes.  “Would you prefer I stop so that you might chastise me properly?  Spank me, perhaps?  Or tie me to the bed and - “

****

Bilbo made a ferocious noise and pushed hard on Kíli’s chest, taking the dwarf by surprise.  They both fell back on the bed, Kíli underneath with his hand still caught in Bilbo’s trousers.

****

“Just keep it up, Mr. Smart Mouth,” the hobbit muttered between heated kisses.  “Keep it up and see what happens.  If you think yourself too old to be spanked, and me too small to do it, you are sorely mistaken.”

****

Kíli whooped with excitement, and Bilbo burst out laughing, finally removing his blindfold.

****

"It seems we may have found a way around our...problem," he said, grinning.  "Nothing like scintillating conversation to get in the right mood, eh?"

****

Kíli lunged up and caught Bilbo's mouth in a hungry, ardent kiss.

****

"Agreed, Mr. Boggins," he said playfully.  "Now, about tying me to the bed..."

****

As it turned out, the fourth time was the charm; and Kíli, who had already been well and truly in love, now knew he would walk into fires of Mordor itself for Bilbo.

****

Had someone told him at the beginning of the quest that he would find, in the _Shire_ of all places, his One, the other half of his soul, he would have laughed and dismissed them as mad.

****

Had they _then_ told him not only was his One not a dwarf, but a _hobbit_ ; and that this hobbit would not only be the cleverest, bravest, most splendid being he had ever known; would not only save their entire Company from orcs, spiders, elves and themselves; would not only outsmart a dragon and find the Arkenstone single-handedly - would not only _be_ and _do_ all these things but that he would be able to fuck Kíli absolutely senseless; bugger him till he couldn't walk; _tie him to the bed and spank him for Mahal’s sake_ , until he was so hard he thought his cock might actually explode; that he would then look up at Kíli as Kíli pressed, finally _finally_ , into Bilbo's inviting warmth like he'd hung the moon, his face flushed and full of softness and wonder until Kíli thought his _heart_ might actually explode...

****

Well, he would probably ask what in Mahal's name was a _hobbit_.

****

_fin_

 


End file.
